A Lonely Soul
by triwizard17
Summary: One-shot. The whispers follow him. Demon. Monster. Murderer. But Naruto's just a child, a lonely soul. What happens when he bumps into Itachi and his little brother Sasuke on Itachi's day off?


**A/N: Please tell me what you think of this! I don't own anything, so don't sue me!**

 _Why couldn't they leave him alone?_

Uzumaki Naruto hated the looks the other villagers gave him. He could see it; their hate, their anguish, their malice.

What had he done to deserve this? He was only _seven years old_ , after all. It was as if he were hated merely because he _existed_.

He could hear the whispers that followed wherever he went. _Demon. Monster. Murderer._

Naruto wondered what it would be like to have parents. He longed to be cared for like a proper child. He wondered what his parents had been like. He was told that they were shinobi, who died defending the village against the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

The orphanage had kicked him out about a year ago. The owner spit in Naruto's face as he quite literally threw him out on to the street.

" _We don't want you here, demon!"_ The man had snarled.

It was worse on his birthday, which happened to coincide with the day the Kyuubi attacked Konohagakure, and was subsequently defeated by the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, resulting in Minato's untimely death.

The current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had paid for the apartment in which Naruto now lived. It wasn't as if anyone would be willing to adopt him, and the Hokage was too busy dealing with his responsibilities as leader of the village to look after him.

Hiruzen was like a grandfather to Naruto, the only one who ever looked at him with eyes that weren't full of hate. The only one who actually cared about Naruto.

Naruto hid his pain well, with an infectious bright smile and loveable personality.

In a few days, when he turned eight, he would be able to start at the Shinobi Academy, and he might have a shot at achieving his biggest dream, to find somebody he could call a 'friend,' somebody who he could share his pain with, someone who he could laugh with and cry with.

Naruto didn't know what he would do after he managed to achieve this dream. He figured that he would figure it out as time went on.

Right now, Naruto was wandering aimlessly around the village. He tried his best to ignore the looks the other villagers gave him, the whispers that followed in his wake.

"I heard that they're thinking of allowing _him_ to attend the Shinobi Academy,"

"That's terrible! Imagine what would happen if someone like _him_ became a shinobi!"

"I personally wish he were dead,"

"All of us would be better off that way, a monster like him shouldn't be allowed to exist,"

Sorrow and anger gripped Naruto's heart when he heard these words. _'I'm not a monster! I'm human, just like you...'_ he thought. _'I'm not a monster... I'm not... am I?'_

It was a simple question that always haunted Naruto's mind, tormenting his thoughts, like a shadow cast over his soul.

Naruto stood in front of the Academy. He wondered how his first day would go. He knew it wasn't for another week, but some part of him wanted to burst in and demand to start his classes early. They probably wouldn't want to teach _him,_ at any rate.

He saw another boy, who looked to be his age, accompanied by a teen who was presumable his older brother. The pair had matching raven hair and onyx eyes.

"You said you'd teach me that shuriken jutsu, nii-san!" The younger was saying.

"Maybe another time, Sasuke-chan." The older one said, ruffling his hair.

"Don't call me chan! I'm not a toddler anymore!" Sasuke said.

The older one glanced at Naruto and smiled. "Why don't you talk to that boy? He looks like he could use a friend." he said.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. ' _He...he doesn't hate me? But I'm...'_

Sasuke frowned. "You're just trying to get out of teaching me the shuriken jutsu, Itachi-nii! Besides, today was the first time in _ages_ you weren't away on a mission!" he said.

"I told you, I have something I need to do. Maybe next time." Itachi said.

Itachi turned and walked away, leaving Sasuke behind with Naruto. Sasuke stuck his tongue out at Itachi's back. "'Maybe next time' he says. That's what you always say, you jerk!" Sasuke yelled.

"U-um." Naruto said, suddenly apprehensive.

Sasuke looked at him and smiled. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, at your service!"

"You want to be friends?" Sasuke asked.

Nothing could describe the emotion Naruto felt when he heard those five words. A strange feeling rose from Naruto's chest. It was so strange. It was so _wonderful_! Was this what having a friend was supposed to feel like?

For the first time in his life, Naruto smiled. It wasn't like the mask he hid behind, it was real. The feeling behind it was sincere. Naruto felt something start to trail down his cheeks, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he hugged Sasuke, who was bewildered at the sudden change in the young blond.

"Hai, Sasuke. I want to be friends." He said.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading this! I apologize for not updating my stories at all, I've been busy with college and life. I've been working on them whenever I can, but I have yet to finish another chapter. It'll be at least a week(maybe even a couple of days), but not more than two or three months. Again, I am sorry!**


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